Florida State Football: Top 15 players in program history
1. Charlie Ward
Charlie Ward was a two-sport star for the Seminoles from 1989-93 as he donned the garnet and gold for both the football and basketball teams during his tenure in Tallahassee. Ward was coached by legends in Bobby Bowden and Mark Richt and matured from a punter into a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback and national champion in 1993.
In 1989, Ward averaged 37.1 yards per punt before redshirting in 1990. By 1992, he was the full-time starting quarterback and threw for 5,747 career passing yards and 49 touchdowns adding another 10 rushing touchdowns over his career.
Charlie guided the Seminoles to a 23-2 career record, two ACC Championships and back-to-back Orange Bowl game victories. The 1993 season was culminated in the 1994 Orange Bowl and saw Ward throw two touchdowns against the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ blackshirts defense. He averaged 8.9 yards per passing attempt his senior season.
In 1993-94, Ward also averaged 10.9 points per game and 4.8 assists per game for the basketball program.
The two-sport star went undrafted in the 1994 NFL Draft but was a first-round pick (26th overall) that year in the NBA draft playing nine and a half seasons with the New York Knicks. As a point guard, Ward finished his NBA career with modest statistics over his 11-year basketball career.
Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: First round post pro days, trades
While Ron Simmons got the ‘Noles on the map, Ward put Florida State and Bobby Bowden into the upper echelon of powerhouse programs.